Bassem Ghaben, director of Israeli-controlled Karem Abu Salem crossing, was working to carry humanitarian assist into Gaza.
An Israeli air raid has killed a Palestinian border crossing director in southern Gaza, in keeping with Palestinian officers and Hamas.
Bassem Ghaben, the director of the Israeli-controlled Karem Abu Salem crossing – referred to as Kerem Shalom in Israel – was killed together with three different folks by Israeli hearth, Gaza well being and border authorities mentioned on Thursday.
He had been working to facilitate the stream of humanitarian assist into the enclave by the crossing, which opened on Friday, mentioned Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from the southern metropolis of Rafah some 3km (1.86 miles) from the checkpoint.
Mahmoud mentioned the assault confirmed that Israel’s navy isn’t solely focusing on infrastructure and houses, but additionally locations that Palestinians depend on for “humanitarian aid they need for their survival”.
“This is part of an ongoing systematic campaign of destruction,” our correspondent mentioned. “It is unclear if the crossing is going to continue to work”.
Israel’s navy indicated it was not concerned within the Karem Abu Salem assault, saying it was not “familiar” with the incident.
The crossing, situated on the southern tip of Gaza bordering Israel, had been permitted to briefly reopen on Friday to extend the stream of assist into Gaza, the place 1.9 million persons are displaced and in determined want of meals, water, and drugs.
Beforehand, assist had been restricted to the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.
‘Sheer destruction’
The border chief’s killing got here as Israeli raids pounded all areas of the besieged strip, hitting 230 targets in simply 24 hours, in keeping with the Israeli military.
Essentially the most intense bombardment befell within the northern a part of the enclave, the place there aren’t any useful hospitals. The World Well being Group (WHO mentioned on Thursday that solely 9 out of 36 well being services are nonetheless partially functioning within the enclave, and all of them are based mostly in southern Gaza.
Strikes additionally hit the southern city of Khan Younis, killing 55 folks up to now 24 hours, in keeping with the Palestinian Wafa information company. Israel has now ordered Palestinians to go away massive swaths of the southern metropolis, sparking widespread concern, Mahmoud reported.
Israeli assaults have struck elements of Rafah, the place most displaced Palestinians have sought shelter.
One aged Palestinian man in Rafah informed Al Jazeera he had by no means seen the extent of violence Gaza is enduring in his whole life. “I’m 76 years old and I’ve lived through many wars and conflict. But I’ve never seen anything like this,” he mentioned. “The sheer level of destruction and systemic killing of civilians is shocking.”
Ten weeks of Israeli assaults have killed greater than 20,000 Palestinians, together with 8,000 kids. Rescuers have warned that, resulting from persevering with bombardment, they’re unable to achieve lots of the wounded in northern Gaza. Palestinian well being officers have mentioned they lack primary drugs and gear to deal with the injured and sick.
